Unofficial news and tips about Google

November 29, 2009

Google Translation Bar

One of my favorite bookmarklets translates the current web page into English using Google Translate: you can find it here. Unfortunately, Google Translate doesn't handle properly web pages dynamically generated using JavaScript. For example, if you try to translate Google Pack's Chinese homepage, you'll notice that most of the text can't be translated.

If you don't want to use Google Toolbar, add the translation bar by bookmarking some Javascript code:

1. Make sure the bookmarks toolbar is visible in your browser. You can enable it if you go to the "View" menu in your browser, click on "Toolbars" and check: "Links" in Internet Explorer, "Bookmarks Toolbar" in Firefox and "Personal Bar" in Opera. In Google Chrome, you can enable the bookmarks toolbar by typing Ctrl+B.

2. In Google Chrome and Firefox, drag the bookmarklet below to the bookmarks toolbar. In IE, right-click on the bookmarklet, click on "Add to Favorites" and select "Favorites Bar" or "Links" from the list of folders. In Opera, right-click on the bookmarklet, click on "Bookmark Link", then click on "Details" and check "Show on Personal Bar".

I've already made this bookmarklet since a couple of weeks and posted it to digg and my blog: http://digg.com/programming/Beth_Tech_Guy_New_Google_Translate_translate_bookmarkletit does the same as this bookmarklet above....

It would be really great if google can come up with translation feature in google bar and that too for Chrome. ( Though google says that chrome has all features that google bar offers but its difficult to tell novice users.)

Thanks, I did not know we could do that with Chrome, so I always used firefox + google toolbar until now. However, I prefer using Chrome since it is much faster than firefox and does not consume as much of memory.

The message"Error: The server could not complete your request. Try again later."happens if you're using Firefox with the Flashblock add-on.Try another browser, or see http://code.google.com/p/bubble-translate/issues/detail?id=49#c5

Sorry Googlepeople, but....When will it be possible to PERMANENTLY SHUT OFF the hassle of unwanted translationpop-ups? Whenever I go to a site in another than my own language the hassle occurs.... I am sure many people like me are bothered by this UNWANTED service that is stuffed down our throats.... And seems impossible to 'kill' :-(

Hello Alex,I am not using the Google Toolbar nor do I use Google Chrome. Just IE 8 where I have chosen Google as my only search engine(accelerator). I have tried installing the toolbar and switch off translations by using the option of to switch translating of but this will not do permanently... (So I reset my computer with the ghost I made before installing the Google Toolbar)All in all not very userfriendly in my opinion !!!I always have been very fond of Google, but this is starting to want me to get rid of anything relating to Google...Should you know a permantent solution, I would really appreciate it...

I am not sure that I understand your issue. You're saying that you see Google 's translation bar at the top of any page written in a foreign language, but you're not using Google Toolbar. Are you this is not a problem limited to a few sites? Google provides a translation bar that can be added to any site.

Hi as for me ..I get a problem to change every word and getting the translation bar always showing the message to translate + I couldn'tresolve it ...it's good when I need it but not like a Spy following me ...............!!!!!!!

Google sites do not allow html in their sites as i tried several times and it refuse me to accepted it because i want to choose which language for my website.It works with no google sites but not google sites why?